RM column September 7 - There's no bread

RM column September 7th - There’s no bread…

WITH ONLY two of us in our household you think it would be easier to not run out of things. After all we don’t really do a weekly shop, Jaysus no the Young Wan would have the fridge cleared out in a day, and there isn’t a clutter of kids tearing through the cupboards; so generally I pick things up as we go along.

So you would think it is more manageable to keep on top of everything. Normally it is but establishing a routine after having three weeks off work and a summer where it was only me in the house has proven elusive.

Each night I get home and only when I go to do something do I realise I can’t because there is none left. Like bread…

I went to make herself a sandwich for school only to find a near-empty loaf packet with a slice of bread and a heel, which doesn’t really make for a lovely lunch.

And I wouldn’t mind but I ring from the supermarket and asked herself if there was anything we need.

As far as I was concerned there was bread, I didn’t know that she had eaten it all, so let me know so she can have lunch the next day.

Or shampoo, she knows as soon as she has squeezed the last out into her hand that we need more, so tell me when it’s finished. Particularly when she has a habit of bringing empty bottles into the shower to squeeze them all out leaving me with the illusion that we have shampoo, lots of it.

The amount of shampoo used in our house is outrageous. Okay we both have long hair but I don’t think even Crystal Gayle or Rapunzel would use the volume of shampoo we seem to put away.

Course at the beginning of the summer when the Young Wan was away with her Nanny there was always shampoo. I had to use shower gel the other day and let’s just say the results, while clean, were not good.

And don’t get me started on toilet roll, seriously don’t. Whole rolls can disappear in a few short hours ending up in the bathroom bin covered in creams and makeup. Despite there being cotton wool for the same purpose and despite all the face washes, etc that she has.

One of the ones that really annoys me is milk or lack of.

The other evening I got home and started to make dinner and needed half pint of milk. As I had bought a litre two days before and I thought she hadn’t used any, I didn’t pick up anymore.

I opened the fridge and pulled out a near-empty carton of milk. She protested that she had left me enough for a cup of tea which I suppose is a major step forward in comparison with before. Then I would have a cup of tea ready for it’s milk only to pull out an empty carton from the fridge.

I don’t get that empty carton, packet, container being left behind fooling you into thinking that you don’t need to restock. One little moment of absolute slovenly laziness could prove disastrous later as the Young Wan found out to her dismay on the milk night.

So for now it is back to a check list when I call from the supermarket, milk – check, bread – check… you get the idea.